I picked up an RCBS 5-station piggyback progressive press and I need to know something. Even when there is NOT a case on the plate the dumb press drops a charge of powder. All my Dillon presses require a case present on the plate to trigger the release of a powder charge.

Another problem is the fact that the powder chares being dropped are not consistent. I am getting .3 grains difference either side of the normal charge I set.

Are either of these a design problem in the RCBS or is my particular RCBS press not working correctly?

Is your PIggy; a.....>....I, II, or III ???
The I and II had a kind of "Swinging Pendulum" Rube Goldberg mechanism which was a frequent problem and DID drop powder when it shouldn't.
It also Jammed quite often and stripped the nylon indexing mechanism.

If you Have a II, you can "upgrade" it with the newer "Case Activated" powder drop mechanism ( Call RCBS ). It solves both problems.

I did that to MY II and I think I had the best of both worlds.
Indexing and reliable powder drop/no drop.

The III comes with the Case activated powder drop mechanism, but is NOT self Indexing.

All that being said, I recently pushed my Piggy to the rear of the bench and went with a Dillon 650.

5 Station
Auto Indexing
AND BOTH:
Separate Seat and Crimp
and
Space for a Powder Checker

Mine must be a Piggyback I or II because it is at least 2 years old and who knows how long it sat in the shop I picked it up from at such a cheap price. No wonder the gun shop owner seemed kinda of anxious to push it for sale.

You know I think that says something about RCBS to even design such a POS. No one cannot tell me that they didn't realize a "powder charge on every throw with or without case" problem. That is just sheer stupidity on their part for designing something so idiotic as that.

Are they going to charge for the upgrade? I don't see why I should have to pay to fix a stupid basic design flaw such as that!!!

I do NOT agree that the Piggy is a "POS".
As I tried to say in my previous reply...
Once you upgrade I believe it to be Excellent.

RCBS didn't build it originally, with the upgrade, because of Patent complications.
(the I and II DID have a "no case - no powder drop" mechanism. It just did not work very well and caused constant jams and stripping of the auto index)

The Piggy I is probably 20 Years Old, and the II perhaps 10-15
The III (&IV...which is the same as the III except for a different Press)
is more recent and comes with the Upgraded power drop, but is Non Auto indexing and has a different primer delivery system.
I believe they went away from the auto-index to avoid the jam and stripping problem, before they got the Patent OK for the newer Powder drop but then when the got the OK and added the powder drop, they didn't want to re-design back to auto index.

As I tried to indicate, If you upgrade the II (with auto index) to the newer Case activated powder drop; you have the best of both worlds.
I was VERY happy with mine and only went to the 650 because I wanted separate bullet seat and crimp PLUS a station for a powder check.

As far as "Will RCBS Charge me for the Upgrade"?...I don't know.
I DO KNOW that they will be much more likely to do so if you ask them in the same tone as your last post.
You may want to concider "RePhrasing" your comments in your request.

I had always found RCBS to Be VERY Considerate and Generous in supporting their products.

Having said all that...... If you still want to "Rid Yourself" of the irritation of your Piggy (I, II, or III)..... Cast it Out!
I will take it off your hands.
How much did you pay for it and where ???

To renaissance7697: Getting something through acquisition means accepting the responsibility of fixing the bad as well as profiting from the good. It's a double edge sword and definitely a measure of a company's commitment to their customer base.

I will check with RCBS to see if they will provide the upgrade for free. If they will not then I will be willing to dump it for what I paid for it - $99 + shipping. I will let you know what the RCBS response is.

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